Working with a Witch

"I'm going to be very blunt with you" Rebecca began as Tania eyed her with **** caution "The glitches are onto you. They just had a meeting about it. They are looking for proof you are working for the Director and I am sure they will find it before long. As for him, he will have seen it all on those cameras you installed and washed his hands of you. He told you you would be alone if you ever got caught, right?"

"Oh, I see.." Tania looked a little crestfallen.

"I'm sure you are a very good spy" Rebecca sat next to the young woman and rubbed her back in consolation "But the glitches are super vigilant. They got burned before by someone the Director hired. And if it is any consolation, you fooled all of the humans. It was the toad who rumbled you."

"Really? Lexie?" Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tania hadn't been that cautious around what she had assumed was just Barbie's pet frog.

"The good news is, they don't think for a minute that there is any relationship between you and I" Rebecca continued "And I suppose they were right. Until now"

"What do you want from me?" Tania asked nervously.

"Please relax,Tania. I'm not the Wicked Witch of the West!" Rebecca smiled "I have a proposal that I think you will like. If it isn't for you, then fine. You leave, no hard feelings. Though I'm afraid you will have to get an Uber home"

"Okay, so what could I possibly do for you?" Tania asked "You clearly don't need a spy"

"That is true" Rebecca nodded "But I do need someone on the inside. There is only so much I can do remotely with my powers at any one time. I am already struggling to maintain control, truth be told. But there are all sorts of magical trinkets, potions and the like that you can take into the mansion and use on my behalf. I can even empower you to cast some basic spells at close range. It would almost be like you were a witch yourself"

Rebecca laughed as she saw Tania's eyes light up at this. It was so easy to corrupt the non magical with the promise of even a fraction of her powers.

"But how would I do that? They aren't going to trust me now, surely?"

"I mentioned before that they got burned in the past, and trust me, that person did way, way worse to them than you" Rebecca explained "She is now one of the glitches leaders, and they all love her. Confess to them that you are working for the Director before they can accuse you of it, make up some sob story about him threatening your family or something, which is entirely how he operates. Then get your clothes off and Bob's your uncle. You're one of them!"

"And what if they rumble me again?" Tania asked nervously.

"Then our relationship ends" Rebecca shrugged "Look, I'm honestly just a very reasonable businesswoman. You don't have anything to worry about, not unless you actively betray me. But you are way too smart to betray a witch, right?"

Tania nodded, then gazed back at the Sophie statue and looked uncertain. Rebecca knew she still had to win her over.

"Okay, let me show you the benefits of being friends with a sorceress" Rebecca smiled "Just a quick demonstration - and this one is on the house, whether you decide to take me up on my offer or not"

The witch raised her hand and Tania nearly jumped out of her skin as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She anxiously reached for it to check her notifications. There was one from the Student Loan Company that had just arrived, congratulating her on clearing all of her debts. Tania gasped in astonishment. That was tens of thousands of pounds she would have expected to be paying off into her forties, at the very least, gone in a stroke. She checked through to the site to confirm it wasn't a spoof message. This was real. And incredible!

"I know you Tania. You aren't a bad person, neither am I. But you are willing to operate in grey areas to get what you want. And what you want is power and influence. I can give you that, more than you ever could have imagined. Just help me resolve this little dispute so everyone is happy and back in their original forms and you will be bosom buddies with a witch. Doesn't that sound good?"

"It does. I'll do it" Tania nodded enthusiastically "I look forward to working with you Rebecca....Um, do I still need to get an Uber home?"

Rebecca laughed out loud "Of course not, beautiful girl! Stick with me and you won't need anything as mundane as that ever again!"

In a flash, Tania was back in her flat with her head spinning, wondering if she had been dreaming the whole crazyness that had just happened. A quick glance at her recent phone notifications assured her she hadn't been. This was really happening. She was working with a witch!